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Raiders Planning To Acquire QB; Aidan O’Connell To Compete For Starting Job

February 8th, 2024 at 4:16pm CST by Sam Robinson

For a second straight offseason, the Raiders are preparing to acquire a starter-caliber quarterback. The team’s 2023 move — Jimmy Garoppolo — was quickly determined to not be a viable solution. A new Raiders regime will try again.

The Raiders are prepared to acquire a quarterback, according to Antonio Pierce (via The Athletic’s Vic Tafur). While it should be expected the team will aim higher than Aidan O’Connell, Pierce said the team’s second-half starter will be given the chance to compete to keep the starting job.

After not needing to pursue QBs for nine straight offseasons, the Raiders cutting Derek Carr changed their equation. They gave ex-Josh McDaniels pupil Garoppolo a three-year, $72.75MM deal. Injuries and poor performance led Garoppolo to the bench after only six starts, moving O’Connell — chosen at the end of the fourth round — into the lineup. O’Connell made 10 starts, winning five of those games. While the Purdue product may be viewed as more of a backup, he remains in the Raiders’ Pierce-Tom Telesco regime’s plans.

It would be a moderate surprise if Brian Hoyer did, given his ties to McDaniels. But the 38-year-old veteran remains under contract for 2024, thanks to the two-year deal he signed after considering retirement. (Designating Garoppolo as a post-June 1 cut would save the Raiders nearly $13MM.) O’Connell’s rookie contract runs through 2026, but the Raiders are already being connected to making another draft investment at the position.

Pierce was on Arizona State’s staff when it recruited and signed Jayden Daniels. The 2023 Heisman winner transferred in 2022, the same year Pierce resigned amid a recruiting scandal. In place as the Raiders’ HC, Pierce was believed to have discussed the prospect of trading up for Daniels during the team’s OC search. The Raiders currently hold the No. 13 overall pick. Although Daniels’ value does not appear set, he is expected to go off the board earlier.

Unlike the Vikings or Buccaneers, the Raiders do not have exclusive negotiating rights with a starter-caliber veteran. Kirk Cousins and Baker Mayfield cannot speak with other teams until the legal tampering period, which begins March 11. Russell Wilson is expected to be released by the Broncos soon, and the lower his 2024 contract, the bigger — due to offset language — Denver’s dead-money bill. Options like Ryan Tannehill, Gardner Minshew, Jacoby Brissett and Sam Darnold are on track to hit the market as well.

Perhaps the most interesting name for the Raiders will be Justin Fields. Working under new Raiders OC Luke Getsy for two years, Fields experienced highs and lows during that partnership. But the Bears are expected to seek a trade partner for the 2021 first-round pick, who can be controlled through 2025 via the fifth-year option. Fields is also not expected to cost a first-round pick, though Chicago asking for one would not surprise. Multiple teams will probably pursue Fields; it would surprise if the Raiders were not one of them.

Raiders To Hire Mike Caldwell As LBs Coach

February 7th, 2024 at 5:01pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Raiders are continuing to make additions to Antonio Pierce‘s staff. Vegas is set to hire Mike Caldwell as linebackers coach, Mike Garafolo of NFL Network reports.

As is the case with a number of other staffers in similar situations, Caldwell will also hold the title of run game coordinator. The move marks a quick rebound for him, after his two-year run as defensive coordinator of the Jaguars came to an end. Caldwell and a number of defensive staffers were let go at the end of the campaign, one in which Jacksonville fell short of a playoff spot.

The Jaguars posted middling numbers in several defensive categories in 2023, but the team did rank ninth in rushing yards allowed. Caldwell will look to duplicate that success with the Raiders as he quickly moves to a new role on an NFL staff. The 52-year-old previously served as LBs coach with the Eagles, Cardinals, Jets and Buccaneers before getting his first coordinator gig in Jacksonville.

As Garafolo and KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson note, the Ravens were among the teams which showed interest in Caldwell for their linebackers coach vacancy. The same is true of the Eagles and Bills, but Caldwell will instead join a Raiders staff which still includes defensive coordinator Patrick Graham. The latter was a head coaching candidate, but with all eight vacancies filled on that front, any move would be a lateral one. The Raiders made it clear early in the hiring cycle that they would block any Graham coordinator interviews.

Vegas saw a notable turnaround on defense after Pierce took over midseason, finishing ninth in points allowed. The team ranked just 21st against the run, however, and improvement in that department will be an offseason goal. Caldwell will look to rebuild his coordinator stock while playing a key role on the Raiders’ new-look staff.

Raiders Targeting Jayden Daniels?

February 6th, 2024 at 10:20pm CST by Ben Levine

The Raiders will be eyeing quarterback prospects in the upcoming draft, but they might not wait for a signal-caller to fall to No. 13. According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, the Raiders could be a trade suitors for a top-three pick.

Fowler notes that head coach Antonio Pierce is a “big fan” of Jayden Daniels, but the organization would surely have to trade for the LSU quarterback. Pierce and Daniels crossed paths during their stints at Arizona State, and that familiarity makes the Raiders a natural landing spot for the prospect.

Further, Fowler notes that Pierce was evaluating offensive coordinator candidates with “the loose possibility of Daniels in mind.” The team’s first choice for OC, Kliff Kingsbury, most recently worked with the draft’s top QB prospect, USC’s Caleb Williams. When Kingsbury declined the Raiders offer and opted for the Commanders’ job, the Raiders pivoted to Luke Getsy.

Fowler assumes that the Bears will take Williams with the first-overall pick, meaning the Raiders will likely have to trade with the Commanders (No. 2) or the Patriots (No. 3) if they want to add Daniels or UNC’s Drake Maye. New GM Tom Telesco was known for his drafting prowess during his years with the Chargers, although his strategy usually didn’t feature home-run, draft-day trades.

With that in mind, it’s notable that the team recently met with Washington QB Michael Penix Jr. at the Senior Bowl, per Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal. Penix is hoping to emerge as the fourth QB on the draft board (following Williams, Daniels, and Maye), although he’s not consistently projected for the first round.

Regardless of how things unfold during the draft, it’s likely that the Raiders will be eyeing a new signal-caller in 2024. Jimmy Garoppolo barely played once Pierce was named the interim head coach, and the veteran will likely be a trade/cut candidate. And while rookie Aidan O’Connell was a standout during the final chunk of the season, it sounds like the Raiders envision him as more of a backup. If the Raiders strike out in the draft, the team could turn to the likes of Kirk Cousins, Baker Mayfield, and Jameis Winston via free agency.

Raiders Hire Luke Getsy As OC

February 6th, 2024 at 6:05pm CST by Sam Robinson

FEBRUARY 6: The Raiders have made it official. The team announced the hiring of Getsy as its new offensive coordinator.

FEBRUARY 4: Less than a day after Kliff Kingsbury backtracked on a reported agreement to become the Raiders’ offensive coordinator, the team is moving toward another option. The team is zeroing in on Luke Getsy.

The Raiders and the recently fired Bears OC are working on an agreement, according to SI.com’s Albert Breer. A hire is expected, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler tweets. This would be for another play-calling OC gig; the Bears axed Getsy after two years in the same role. This has been an eventful search for Antonio Pierce‘s team, but it is looking like — barring another 11th-hour breakdown — the AFC West club will have a new play-caller in place soon.

A number of Raiders targets took OC jobs elsewhere. The Bengals promoted Dan Pitcher to what is a non-play-calling OC position. Ex-Browns OC Alex Van Pelt interviewed with the Raiders but accepted the Patriots’ play-calling OC role. The Raiders also had Klint Kubiak, Zac Robinson and Shane Waldron on their radar. This trio of candidates respectively is now aligned with the Saints, Falcons and Bears. As a result of Kingsbury’s course change, the Raiders are ready to commit to a future with Chicago’s previous play-caller.

The Kingsbury agreement surfaced on Thursday. As of Saturday morning, however, the deal was off. Kingsbury informed the Raiders he would not take the job; this came after contract negotiations fell apart. The USC quarterbacks coach is believed to have sought a three-year deal, while the Raiders were aiming at a two-year pact. This might not boil down to only term length, but as it stands now, Kingsbury is squarely on the Commanders’ radar to become their play-calling OC.

Following the Kingsbury news, dot connecting between the Raiders and Getsy commenced. Though, the Raiders also spoke with Eric Bieniemy about the position. With Kingsbury and Chip Kelly — another Raiders candidate — on the radar in Washington, it certainly appears Bieniemy will not be retained. Seeing as Bieniemy arrived in Washington when Dan Snyder and Ron Rivera were still in power, it seemed a long shot he would stay — especially after a 4-13 season — under this new Josh Harris–Adam Peters–Dan Quinn regime.

Getsy, 39, interviewed for the Raiders’ OC job last week; they were the first team to reach out. While the interview went well, the Raiders did not position the ex-Packers QBs coach as their first choice. Getsy also interviewed for the Patriots and Saints’ OC positions, meeting with the Saints twice. But the team is prepared to go with Kubiak.

Tasked with developing Justin Fields, Getsy drew criticism as that effort did not go smoothly. That said, the ex-Aaron Rodgers position coach made a concerted effort to utilize Fields’ gifts in the run game midway through the 2022 season. The result nearly brought down Lamar Jackson‘s single-season QB rushing record; Fields finished with 1,143 rushing yards — second-most by a QB in a season — in 2022. The jury is still out on Fields as a passer, leading to the Caleb Williams rumors, but the Bears respectively ranked first and second on the ground in Getsy’s two seasons.

On the whole, the Bears ranked 23rd and 18th in scoring offense during Getsy’s two seasons in Illinois. Prior to that stay, he also served as the Packers’ pass-game coordinator from 2020-21. Current Raider Davante Adams ripped off his first two All-Pro seasons during that span.

Assuming this Getsy-Raiders partnership becomes official, this year’s OC carousel will feature three recently fired coordinators — Getsy, Van Pelt, Ken Dorsey — landing jobs elsewhere. The Chargers also did not retain Kellen Moore, but he is now in place as the Eagles’ OC. Ditto Seattle and Waldron, who left for Chicago after three years as Pete Carroll‘s OC. Getsy will step into an interesting position in Las Vegas.

Some of this era’s top offensive minds reside in the AFC West. Andy Reid is set to coach in his fifth Super Bowl, while the Broncos have former Super Bowl champion Sean Payton in his second offseason running the show. The Chargers have upped the ante, hiring ex-Super Bowl HC and reigning national champion Jim Harbaugh to oversee Justin Herbert‘s development. Getsy will join a team that has by far the least experienced head coach in the division, and with Pierce’s background on defense, it will be Getsy in full command on the offensive side.

The Raiders also have a quarterback question to answer, joining the Broncos in that regard. Getsy will either be charged with developing a draft choice or working with a veteran acquisition. Either way, plenty will be on the young assistant’s shoulders in 2024.

Joe Whitt To Call Commanders’ Defensive Plays; Magic Johnson Helped Sway Kliff Kingsbury

February 5th, 2024 at 5:44pm CST by Sam Robinson

Dan Quinn will step back from the play-calling post he held in Dallas, indicating Monday his new defensive coordinator — Joe Whitt — will run the show on gamedays. This will be a move up for Whitt, who spent the past three seasons as the Cowboys’ secondary coach.

The Cowboys wanted to retain Whitt, who had a pre-Dallas history with both Quinn and Mike McCarthy. Whitt’s past with the latter is far more extensive; Whitt was on McCarthy’s Green Bay staff for 11 seasons (2008-18). He joined Quinn’s Falcons defense in 2020, but Quinn’s October 2020 ouster prevented the two from coaching together much. Quinn brought Whitt to Dallas, however, and will entrust him with the defensive play calls in Washington.

One of Whitt’s former Packers coworkers is also on the Commanders’ radar. The team is interested in hiring Jason Simmons, with ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler indicating the Commanders sent the Raiders an interview request. Las Vegas granted the request. Simmons spent the past two seasons as the Raiders’ DBs coach and pass-game coordinator, being a Josh McDaniels hire. While some McDaniels hires are in line to stay, others have already been fired or left for other positions.

Simmons, 47, spent nine years with the Packers, overlapping with Whitt from 2011-18 in Wisconsin. Both coached Green Bay’s DBs at points during that span, with their final year together featuring Whitt as the Pack’s pass-game coordinator and Simmons in the DBs coach post. Simmons served as the Panthers’ pass-game coordinator under Matt Rhule and doing the same under McDaniels and Antonio Pierce in Las Vegas. With Whitt in place as the DC, it would seem the Commanders are targeting Simmons for another pass-game coordinator role.

Shifting to the higher-profile Commanders coordinator choice, Kliff Kingsbury is indeed bound for D.C. after initially committing to the Raiders. Contract length represented a sticking point for Kingsbury and the Raiders, but NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport adds Commanders limited partner Magic Johnson was in the USC assistant’s ear during the hiring process.

Johnson is believed to have informed Kingsbury the Commanders would be interested if his Raiders talks broke down. Soon after, Kingsbury had a deal in place with the Commanders. This probably will not go over well with the Raiders, who have since moved on to Luke Getsy as their offensive play-caller. But after the Commanders were unable to land their top choices as head coach, their OC position enticed Kingsbury to bail on a Vegas pledge.

Johnson aligned himself with Josh Harris when he attempted to buy the Broncos in 2022, and the NBA legend did so again during the 76ers owner’s successful push to acquire the Commanders. The Kingsbury about-face also has not prompted the Raiders to block a Simmons interview, potentially indicating the latter was not firmly in their 2024 plans.

The Commanders wanted an experienced play-caller to team with Quinn, NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero adds. Kingsbury fits the bill, having run the show on offense at Texas Tech and then with the Cardinals. After a season as Caleb Williams‘ position coach, Kingsbury is likely to coach a rookie quarterback five years after mentoring No. 1 overall pick Kyler Murray. Washington is unlikely — barring a Chicago trade-down — to be in position to take Williams, but a Commanders future with Drake Maye or Jayden Daniels is firmly in play. The team now has Kingsbury readying to lead this likely development effort.

Kliff Kingsbury Now Leading Candidate For Commanders’ OC Job; Latest On Raiders’ Options

February 3rd, 2024 at 10:32pm CST by Ely Allen

Quickly following news that the Raiders would not be closing the deal to make former Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury their next offensive coordinator under now official head coach Antonio Pierce, rumors are circulating that Kingsbury is now the leading candidate for the same position in Washington, per Adam Schefter of ESPN. After spending 2023 as a senior offensive analyst at USC, Kingsbury’s return to the NFL seems inevitable at this point.

Two days ago, the NFL world was under the impression that Kingsbury would become the next offensive play-caller in Las Vegas. That story changed this morning with Kingsbury informing multiple people in the Raiders organization that he would not be joining the team. According to Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated, there was “a contractual hang-up” that prevented Kingsbury from following through on those initial reports, and as a result, the Commanders have swooped in, setting Kingsbury in their sights. Arizona Football Daily‘s Mike Jurecki adds that the Raiders offered a two-year contract, whereas Kingsbury was aiming for a three-year pact.

Washington makes sense for Kingsbury for a number of reasons. The Commanders recently landed on former Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn as their replacement for former head coach Ron Rivera. Quinn being a defensive coach puts the Commanders in a different situation than teams like the Titans or Panthers, whose offensive-minded head coaches will be calling plays over their respective offensive coordinators. Kingsbury will be handed the keys to a young offense, something he has experience with from his time in Arizona.

The Commanders also make sense because there seems to be a very real chance that the team could draft a former pupil of Kingsbury’s in USC quarterback Caleb Williams. Though Williams has long been rumored to be the No. 1 overall pick and the Commanders sit at No. 2, rumors have picked up recently that the Bears, who hold the top pick, will not be trading down. While that could mean Williams is headed to Chicago to try and displace Justin Fields as the starting quarterback, there have been an equal number of rumors stating that Williams wants nothing to do with the Bears, meaning he could slip down to No. 2 and end up a Commander being coached by his former mentor.

Kingsbury reportedly interviewed with the Commanders and Quinn recently, per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, and though neither side seems to have settled on an agreement, both sides seem to be moving in the right direction.

As for Vegas, their search for their next play-caller under Pierce continues. UCLA head coach Chip Kelly, who had been a name to watch in Washington before this most recent news of Kingsbury’s prospects, and former Bears offensive coordinator Luke Getsy are names to watch, according to Jonathan Jones of NFL on CBS. Getsy was considered a top candidate for the position when Kingsbury was originally announced, and Kelly may shift focus to the Raiders if the Commanders do indeed shift theirs to Kingsbury.

Jeremy Fowler of ESPN mentions that Las Vegas recently spoke to former Commanders offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy, amounting to what could essentially be considered a coordinator exchange should Bieniemy land in Vegas and Kingsbury be hired in DC. He also mentions that the team spoke with former Texans offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton but includes that Hamilton may just be in consideration for a position coaching job.

So, today’s breaking news from Vegas does create a bit of a shuffle, but both the Raiders and Commanders seem to have reacted quickly in the fallout. As a result, Washington could be closing in on their new play-caller, while Las Vegas continues to explore their options.

Raiders Interview Pep Hamilton For OC

February 3rd, 2024 at 4:31pm CST by Ely Allen

After being mentioned as someone who spoke with the Raiders in the aftermath of Kliff Kingsbury backing out of the offensive coordinator job, it has been confirmed that Pep Hamilton did, in fact, interview as an offensive coordinator candidate, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. Initial thoughts were that the former Texans assistant coach was in the running for a position coaching job, but after allowing more information to come out, it appears Hamilton is in consideration for the play-calling role.

Hamilton was out of the NFL in 2022, after failing to be retained following the firing of Lovie Smith in Houston. Before that, Hamilton earned his first NFL coordinator job with the Colts back in 2013, following quarterback Andrew Luck from Stanford to Indianapolis as his offensive coordinator. Despite being considered for the Raiders’ head coaching vacancy in 2014, Hamilton was fired midway through the following season.

The next several years would be eventful for Hamilton, seeing him spend a year in Cleveland, serving two years of a four-year contract with the University of Michigan, sitting out the 2019 season, and getting hired as the head coach and general manager of the DC Defenders of the XFL. Following his short XFL stint, Hamilton was hired by the Chargers, where, as quarterbacks coach, he would help Justin Herbert to the offensive rookie of the year award. His success with Herbert led to his next opportunity under David Culley in Houston as passing game coordinator and quarterbacks coach. Hamilton earned his promotion under Smith the following year.

In Vegas, Hamilton would be tasked with helping to determine the team’s currently uncertain future at quarterback. With veteran Jimmy Garoppolo and rookie fourth-round pick Aidan O’Connell on the roster, it doesn’t feel like the position is secure for the Raiders. This is what Hamilton’s competition for the job currently looks like:

Kliff Kingsbury Won’t Take Raiders’ Offensive Coordinator Job

February 3rd, 2024 at 11:51am CST by Ben Levine

It sounds like Kliff Kingsbury won’t be heading to Las Vegas after all. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Kingsbury has withdrawn himself from consideration for the Raiders offensive coordinator job. It was reported earlier this week that the Raiders were set to hire the former Cardinals head coach for the role.

[RELATED: Raiders Expected To Hire Kliff Kingsbury]

Per Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal, the agreement between the two sides was believed to be all but done. Peter Schrager of Fox Sports reports that contract negotiations became “undone” over the past 24 hours, and Kingsbury informed multiple members of the organization this morning that he wouldn’t be joining the coaching staff.

Following a one-year stint at USC, Kingsbury seemed prime for a return to the NFL. Besides the interest from the Raiders, the coach also interviewed for the Bears and Eagles offensive coordinator vacancies. While both of those franchises decided to go in different directions, it was still clear that Kingsbury was back on the coordinator radar.

The former NFL quarterback was once considered one of the brightest offensive coaching minds in the sport. That offensive acumen helped him earn the Cardinals head coaching job back in 2019. The team took steps forward in each of Kingsbury’s first three years at the helm, including a 2021 campaign where the Cardinals won 11 games. However, the Cardinals dropped to 4-13 in 2022, and Kingsbury was let go.

The coach seemed to lose a bit of his shine last offseason, leading to him taking a gig as senior offensive analyst/quarterbacks coach at USC. It wasn’t the most taxing job; after all, Kingsbury was tasked with guiding former Heisman Trophy winner and top quarterback prospect Caleb Williams. The signal-caller didn’t do anything to hurt his draft stock this past season, with Williams finishing the campaign tossing 30 touchdowns vs. five interceptions.

Former Raiders offensive coordinator Mick Lombardi was fired back in October, and Antonio Pierce has clearly put an emphasis on experience as he looks for his next offensive leader. We heard recently that the organization was eyeing Hue Jackson for a role on the staff, and the team also reportedly gave a long look at Chip Kelly for their offensive coordinator vacancy. Kingsbury was expected to lead this group, but the Raiders will apparently have to pivot in a different direction.

While the Raiders cast a wide net to fill their OC vacancy, many of their candidates have already taken jobs elsewhere. Besides Kelly, the Raiders could still turn to former Bears OC Luke Getsy, Buccaneers QBs coach Thad Lewis, or Steelers quarterbacks coach Mike Sullivan.

As for Kingsbury, it will be interesting to see where he lands next. Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports points out that Kingsbury had been discussed as a potential OC option for the Commanders. With Dan Quinn now in place, that might be an idea that Washington circles back to.

Coaching Notes: Patriots, Raiders, Jets, Dolphins

February 3rd, 2024 at 9:37am CST by Ben Levine

Steve Belichick and Jerod Mayo worked in tandem to guide the Patriots defense during Bill Belichick‘s final years in New England. With the older Belichick gone and Mayo having been promoted to head coach, the younger Belichick was facing an uncertain future with the organization. While there were some rumblings that Mayo was interested in keeping Steve Belichick on staff, the Patriots linebackers coach is set to interview for a job at the University of Washington, according to ESPN’s Field Yates.

While the Patriots didn’t have a traditional defensive coordinator in recent years, Belichick and Mayo were both credited with running the group. Steve Belichick was the defensive play-caller over each of the past four seasons, leading some pundits to wonder if he could earn a promotion to full-time DC with Mayo now leading the way. There were also rumblings that the younger Belichick could join his father in a new landing spot. Ultimately, neither of those scenarios came to fruition, and Steve Belichick is now eyeing a role elsewhere.

Patriots RB coach Vinnie Sunseri is also set to interview with the University of Washington. The coach has experience working on both sides of the ball, and he worked alongside Jedd Fisch when the two were in New England.

Elsewhere on the Patriots staff, assistant special teams coach Joe Houston is leaving for the University of Florida, according to Charean Williams of ProFootballTalk.com. Houston was set to be named Alabama’s special teams coach in 2020, but the Patriots convinced him to join their coaching staff. He’s spent the past four seasons in New England.

More coaching notes from around the NFL…

  • The Raiders are hiring DeShaun Foster as their new running backs coach, according to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo. After finishing his playing career with more than 4,500 yards from scrimmage, Foster joined UCLA’s staff in 2012. He’s spent most of the past 12 seasons with the Bruins, including the past seven as their running backs coach. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport adds that he expects the Raiders to also add Andre Carter to their staff. The former first-round pick previously served as the Jets defensive line coach.
  • The Jets have added Shawn Jefferson as their new wide receivers coach, according to Josina Anderson. Jefferson has been coaching since 2006, and he’s had stints as the WRs coach with the Lions, Titans, Dolphins, Jets, Cardinals, and (most recently) the Panthers. He had a previous stint with New York’s coaching staff, serving as the WRs coach/assistant head coach in 2019 and 2020.
  • The Dolphins are making some significant changes to their coaching staff. According to NFL Network’s Cameron Wolfe, the organization has parted ways with offensive assistant Kolby Smith. Wolfe adds that offensive assistant Ricardo Allen, offensive assistant Mike Judge, and assistant special teams coach Brendan Farrell also won’t be back in 2024. Smith is a somewhat notable departure. After working alongside RB coach Eric Studesville this past season, he was interviewed for the Jaguars RB coach job.
  • The Rams have hired Giff Smith as their defensive line coach/run game coordinator, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. The long-time coach had been with the Chargers since 2016, serving as defensive line coach and linebackers coach. He took on the role of interim head coach this past season following the firing of Brandon Staley, with the Chargers going winless in his three games at the helm. Per Pelissero, a number of teams reached out to Smith about joining their staffs, but the coach ultimately decided to stick in Los Angeles.

Raiders Expected To Hire Kliff Kingsbury As Offensive Coordinator

February 1st, 2024 at 10:04pm CST by Ben Levine

Kliff Kingsbury is back in the NFL. The Raiders are expected to hire the former Cardinals head coach as their new offensive coordinator, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

[RELATED: Latest On Raiders’ OC Vacancy]

Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 in Houston reported earlier today that the Raiders were considered the front runner for Kingsbury’s services. NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo adds that the two sides still haven’t officially agreed to a deal, although it’s expected to get done eventually.

Kingsbury spent the 2023 campaign at USC, where he served as the senior offensive analyst and quarterbacks coach. He worked extensively with top QB prospect Caleb Williams, guiding the former Heisman Trophy winner to a 30-touchdown, five-interception campaign. While Kingsbury obviously isn’t entirely responsible for Williams’ NFL future, the coach didn’t do anything to hurt the QB’s draft stock.

Thanks to his relative success at USC, Kingsbury seemed to brush away some of the concerns surrounding him following his disappointing end in Arizona. It was the coach’s offensive acumen that helped earn him the Cardinals head coaching job back in 2019. The team took steps forward in each of Kingsbury’s first three years at the helm, culminating in an 11-win season in 2021. However, following a 2022 campaign that saw Arizona drop to 4-13, Kingsbury was relieved of his duties.

Following his one season in the college ranks, Kingsbury returned to the coaching cycle this past offseason. He also interviewed for the Bears and Eagles OC vacancies, although both organizations decided to go in different directions. Ultimately, he managed to secure a coordinator job under Antonio Pierce in Las Vegas.

Former offensive coordinator Mick Lombardi was fired back in October, but the team waited until they had a full-time HC before making a move. A number of candidates have been connected to the open gig, but we’re still learning of other coaches who were apparently interviewed for the job. Per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, former Eagles and 49ers head coach Chip Kelly interviewed at least twice for the Raiders OC job.

We heard a few weeks ago that Kelly could be a candidate for an offensive coordinator role, although there weren’t any definitive teams connected to the veteran coach. Kelly has served as UCLA’s head coach since the 2018 campaign.

Pierce is clearly focused on adding experienced coaches to his staff. Former Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis has already caught on with the organization, with Mike Jurecki of Arizona Football Daily revealing that Lewis has officially been named the Raiders assistant head coach. Further, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reports that the Raiders are also eyeing former Browns head coach Hue Jackson for an offensive coaching job. This would be a return trip for Jackson. Prior to his defining stint in Cleveland, Jackson enjoyed a one-season stint (2011) as Raiders HC, finishing 8-8.

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